1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hood unlocking apparatus of an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As illustrated in FIG. 1, an automobile is equipped with a front hood installed at a front side where an engine is mounted and a rear hood installed at the trunk.
The front hood is generally equipped with a dual safety device. In other words, only after the hood is initially unlocked inside the automobile, the hood can be then lifted outside as illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 illustrates a position where a hood unlocking apparatus for initially unlocking the front hood is located inside an automobile. As illustrated, the hood unlocking apparatus is frontly located underneath a crash pad 12, where a hood 2 is initially unlocked by a forward pulling of an unlock handle 18. A hood unlocking apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is coupled at a front lower part of the crash pad 12 holding various instruments with a housing 16 via a reinforcing member 14, where the housing 16 is mounted with an unlock handle 18 having a restoring force by way of torsion spring 20. The unlock handle 18 is connected to a cable 24 wrapping a wire 22 and when the unlock handle 18 is pulled, the wire 22 is successively pulled to open a hood (not shown).
The reinforcing member 14 is coupled to the housing 16 and the crash pad 12 by way of coupling members 26 and 28.
However, there are problems in the conventional hood unlocking apparatus thus described in that, when the unlock handle 18 is pulled, the crash pad 12 is swung to adversely affect various instruments on the crash pad 12, and in that the way the unlock handle 18 is connected therein with the wire 22 makes it difficult to work on assembling cables.
There is another problem in that a fuse box and an engine check point are positioned around the unlock handle 18 in some types of automobiles, such that it is difficult to operate the conventional hood unlock apparatus.
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hod unlocking apparatus for an automobile adapted to enable an easy assembly and to prevent a crash pad from swinging, providing no adverse effect to instruments thereon.
In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided a hood unlocking apparatus of an automobile, the apparatus comprising:
an inner side panel, a fixing bracket mounted at the inner side panel, a rocking bracket rotably coupled to the fixing bracket, a handle mounted at the rocking bracket, restoring means for restoring the rocking bracket to its original place after the rocking bracket is rotated by manipulation, and a wire connected at one end thereof to the rocking bracket and connected at the other end thereof to a hood to cooperatively move according to rotary movement of the rocking bracket.
Protruders are respectively formed at both sides of the rocking bracket, each at a predetermined angle, as restricting means for restricting a rotating angle thereof when the rocking bracket is rotated relative to the fixing bracket. It is preferred to mount a bumper to the protruders in order to reduce contact noise generated by contact with the fixing bracket. The rocking bracket is formed with a handle and a tip end of the wire is connected to the rocking bracket via a cushioning member to smoothen manipulation of the handle.